What is Bazball?
- Published
The term 'Bazball' is used to describe the playing style of England's men's Test cricket side under head coach Brendon McCullum.
McCullum, nicknamed 'Baz', has significantly changed the playing style of the England side since his appointment in May 2022, focussing on being fearless, aggressive and making positive decisions with the bat and in the field.
England have been captained by Ben Stokes throughout the Bazball era, a player who like McCullum, has been an entertainer throughout his career.
It has also led to batting performances that have seen England score runs at record-breaking pace, inspired by a coach who himself holds the record for the fastest century in Test history.
The name Bazball was first coined by ESPN Cricinfo journalist Andrew Miller and it caught on - even being added to the Collins dictionary in November 2023.
While it has come with criticism, England's team have risen to second in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) men's Test team rankings under McCullum.
Since September 2024, McCullum has also been in charge of England's men's white ball sides.
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What do the players make of it?
England head coach Brendon McCullum (left) and captain Ben Stokes (right) have spearheaded the Bazball era
McCullum himself does not like the term and the New Zealand himself said there are often misconceptions around it.
At times under his stewardship, some England batters have been accused of losing their wicket cheaply by taking an aggressive approach.
In 2022, BBC Test Match Special pundit Michael Vaughan called a Jonny Bairstow dismissal "dumb" and "pathetic". But McCullum has defended his tactics.
"I think there's a bit of a misconception about how we play, that we swing the bat as hard as we can, we try to take wickets and then we go for a round of golf and a few beers," McCullum said in September 2025.
"I find it slightly disrespectful to all of you guys [the players] and all of the people in the set-up who work so hard and have such clear determination of wanting to succeed, to have that so simply categorised, almost."
England white ball captain and Test vice-captain Harry Brook is among those who enjoys the approach and has been among the beneficiaries of Bazball.
"We want to entertain," he said in September 2024.
Australia's players have often downplayed Bazball and its effect on cricket.
Speaking on Bazball, spinner Nathan Lyon told BBC Sport: "I don't mind hearing about it. It's their type of cricket. I just feel like we've been playing entertaining cricket for a number of years now, we just don't need to call it a name to justify it.
"I've seen David Warner score centuries in a session well and truly before Bazball was invented."
Former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist recently said: "We were doing it 20 years before them. It's just the way you play cricket.
"No, it [Bazball] does not wind me up. It makes for compelling viewing. Bring it on."
What have the critics said?
Speaking in the summer of 2024 about how Bazball has developed during its three and a half years, BBC's chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew said Bazball was "too risky and full-on", but praised its evolution over time.
"A year ago, faced with a first-innings deficit of 41, England would have come out in their second innings looking to go 'bang, bang' and score runs as quickly as possible," said Agnew.
"This time, they played sensibly to ensure they earned the lead that would eventually win them the match. England's batting was still positive, but measured.
"It was the work of a team intent on winning matches and series, which they hadn't done for more than a year," he added.
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
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